What is American Exceptionalism?

Our mythic history suggests America was created by God and is therefore unique among nations. We have a higher moral standing and it is right, therefore, for us to share our benificence. Lately the term American Exceptionalism is being used by the right, as it has been before, to fan the fires of ultra-nationalism, casting severe doubt on those who would examine history and not just cling to myth. Today’s guests, LSU history professors Nancy Isenberg and Andrew Burstein shed much light on the meaning and importance of the notion of American Exceptionalism.